Oglala Sioux leader: Protests will continue

Arrest won't slow crusade against Whiteclay, liquor on reservation

Jun. 21, 2013

Written by

Kristi Eaton

Associated Press

The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota said his recent arrest during a protest against alcohol sales in the Nebraska border town of Whiteclay won’t deter him from voicing his disapproval of the possibility of allowing alcohol on the dry Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Bryan Brewer was arrested Monday during a protest in Whiteclay on a 2012 warrant for writing a bad check for $191 to a veterinary clinic. The tribal official paid the amount, was released and the charges dismissed.

In a statement, Brewer said he hopes his arrest will encourage tribal members to talk about an upcoming referendum vote and its possible effects on the reservation. The tribal council this month approved a public referendum on whether to legalize alcohol on the reservation. A date for the public vote has not been scheduled.

“The arrest does not deter me from continuing protesting in White Clay (sic), why should we stop?” he said in the statement. “Alcohol doesn’t stop! My arrest only helps bring to light these issues and helps all of us to begin talking about the referendum vote, effects of alcohol and what we really want for our people.”

Federal law bans the sale of alcohol on Indian reservations unless the tribal council allows it. The tribal council legalized alcohol on the reservation for two months in 1970s, but the ban quickly was restored.

An attempt to lift the ban in 2004 died after a public outcry.

Alcoholism is rampant on Pine Ridge and is often identified as the culprit for the high rates of suicide, violence, infant mortality and unemployment among tribal members. People sneak in beer and liquor from nearby border towns such as Whiteclay. A lawsuit the tribe brought last year against four beer sellers in Whiteclay and some of the nation’s biggest breweries ultimately was dismissed. The tribe alleges that the businesses were profiting from the alcoholism on the reservation.

Brewer said tribal members need to take a “hard look” at what alcohol has done and is doing to the community.

“We need to really think about what our communities will be like if alcohol is legalized on this reservation,” he added.